By Steve Ranger, 6 January 2006 14:25
NEWS
Satellite photos and a 'Big Brother' database could be used to increase the council tax bills of householders who have made improvements such as conservatories, claim the Conservatives.
But the government has denied the claims, labelling them "scaremongering".
At present, council tax bills are unaffected by home improvements but Tories claim information from satellite or aerial photos will be used to build up a database that could be used to impose a "stealth tax" on extensions.
Inspectors will also collate information on the type and condition of walls and roofs.
Conservative local government spokeswoman, Caroline Spelman, said in a statement: "The public have already expressed concern at the prospect of inspectors with cameras entering their homes. Now it appears that the government will also be using aerial photography to invade people's privacy and lay the ground for a new stealth tax on home improvements."
She said the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), part of the Inland Revenue, is building up a database of information on each home in the UK, with two million records already held.
A government spokesman said the Tory claims were "misleading scaremongering".
He added: "VOA does not use aerial or satellite photography for valuation purposes."
Comments
There are 5 comments. Join the discussion
1. simon
>> VOA does not use aerial or satellite photography for valuation purposes
Yet !
I'm sure they'll find a way to base a tax on it, then they'll be using it.
2. anonymous
So it is better to let your house run down. As doing nothing to make the area a better place for everybody is being rewarded by lower council tax.
Be lazy, do not save, rent your house and the state will help you. Try to achieve something and the state will knock you.....Hmm! time to leave the country??....unless the torys have a better idea...........
3. anonymous
Maybe this will give rise to a new architectural heritage, rather than bricked up windows to avoid window tax, cammo net conservatories?
4. Chris Goodman
It seems that our "rulers", the rather anonymous phalanx of jobsworth civil servants are continuing the trend of spending a lot to gain a little.
When will their seniors drive home the message that they should primarily endeavour to reduce both private and public expenditure; that it is not acceptable to spend hard earned taxpayers money just to enable a slight increase in the taxes those taxpayers pay.
The overall loser is always the country as all the expenditure on the infrastructure is a loss to the trade of the nation.
Hiring a helicopter or any aircraft to take photographs in the hope of "catching" someone for a few pounds is not financial sense. To run a helicopter costs well in excess of £1000 per hour, so just a few hours of this would add a £ to everyone's council tax bill.
Shouldn't even be thought of and, if the thought did arise, it should be rapidly discarded and the originator stamped on - HARD. (And then fired for time wasting and frivolity!!!)
5. Martin Lukes
....it is alleged. By a spokesperson. When i was at journalist college this always meant: "actually, I made this bit up."
We are not told how the Conservatives came by this information. Could it possibly be anything to do with the Council Tax they set-up? Or their other policies, which did so much to help deprived areas.
No need to wonder why civil servants are so keen on these kind of ideas (not this one, which we don't know they even have); in thier culture, this passes for initiative. As Lenin almost said, the purpose of bureaucracy is to bureaucratise.